They say the reduction, announced by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in his 2020 Budget speech today, is “long overdue”.
The second bridge, opened in March 2014, has seen lighter traffic compared to the first because of its higher toll rate.
The toll for the first bridge is RM7 but commuters using a special Touch ’n Go card registered at the toll plaza enjoy a 20% discounted rate of RM5.60.
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Penang branch chairman Ooi Eng Hock said the toll reduction for the second bridge would be of special benefit to those staying in Seberang Perai and working at the Bayan Lepas industrial areas on the island.
Similarly, workers residing on the island would also save on toll if they travel to work in Batu Kawan on the mainland.
“FMM had proposed for a reduced toll rate (for the second bridge) as what commuters are enjoying at the first bridge.
“With this reduction, we expect reduced costs for our workers in the Bayan Lepas area and also encourage more development on both sides of the bridge.
“This would definitely grow Batu Kawan even further and reduce traffic on the first bridge,” he told FMT.
Bukit Tambun assemblyman Goh Choon Aik called it a “victorious” moment as he had lobbied for the bridge’s toll to be reduced at the state assembly.
“We thank the works and finance ministers for the reduction. Next, we need to fix the traffic congestion at the Juru Auto City area and the Bukit Tambun interchange, not far away from the bridge,” he said.
Penang BN strategic director Azizi Safar said while the reduction of the toll rate was good, the promise by Lim to remove toll on the first bridge had yet to materialise.
At a state assembly sitting last November, it was revealed that the second bridge cost RM120 million in annual maintenance and collected an average of RM38 million in tolls yearly.
From April 1, 2014 to Sept 30 last year, the number of users on the bridge was 7.1 million vehicles, paying RM142.5 million in tolls.
The 24km bridge was constructed at a cost of RM4.5 billion, with an additional RM189 million spent on land acquisition.
It is operated by Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd, which is wholly owned by the Minister of Finance Incorporated.